Cats who came from Northern climate adaptations have long fur and large, stocky, bodies which work for them in the winter; but not in the summer.
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How much help do cats need? It depends on the intersection between our weather and their adaptations. I have three longhairs, but they are not the same. Our little Olwyn has a slender build, medium length fur, and a relatively scanty undercoat, while Reverend Jim has the full Maine Coon; big barrel-shaped body, dense undercoat, thick overcoat.
So when our mountain summer first heated up, he did a lot of lying around. This made him easy prey for me and my shedding comb. His body was throwing off fur to help him adapt.
Do all cats shed more for summer? Depending on our cats’ exposure to the outdoors, this shedding can be more or less seasonal. Indoor only cats tend to made less obvious shifts in their coat. But all cats react to increased temperatures by adjusting the growth cycles of their “down,” or underfur.
Purebred Norwegian Forest Cats are famous for shedding their long fur everywhere (except for their heads and tails) as a summer adaptation. This is most prominent in purebreds; the effect is diluted in their mixes.
Should I shave my cat? If we live in a Southern climate and our cat suffers from the heat, we can consider it. Persians who do not have access to air conditioning will benefit the most. They have stocky bodies and dense fur which really hold in the heat, and their short noses make high temperatures and high humidity especially trying for them.
As to whether “we” should do it, or have it turned over to a professional groomer; that depends on the cat. In any case, we should go for the Lion Cut, which leaves the tricky head, feet, and tail alone. The minimal cooling effect from fur removal there is not worth the stress on both groomer and cat.
Do not make it too close a shave; cats use their fur to regulate their temperature and protect them from sunburn. Lightly furred cats like the Sphynx, who have suede-like, barely furred skin, are also prone to sunburn, and need protection.
Look for signs of distress. It’s normal for cats to react to heat by being attracted to sources of cool, from draping their bellies over the marble sill of the bathroom to lying in the path of a fan or air conditioner. But if our cat is panting, this is a sign the cat is dangerously overheated. Wipe them down with a wet paper towel, get their paws into cold water, and see if we can’t get them into a cooler place.
They should perk up right away; if not, or their distress is repeated, a vet check is in order. Such excessive reactions to heat might signal a heart or respiratory problem.
If our home is air conditioned to a temperature we find comfortable, our cat will be too. Even so, grooming our cat is a year round task that keeps our cat healthy, helps us keep tabs on any trouble spots, and creates a happy bond between us.
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There’s more ways to care for our cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See all of my posts on CAT CARE.
I have indoor cats. One is a mainecoon that has really thick hair. She is an indoor cat and loves coming outside on the deck. The more she comes out in the heat, the more she sheds. If you brush her while she outside in the heat, she loses a whole bunch more hair.
White cats are prone to sunburns, too. My grey tabby loves nothing more than a sit in the sun, but my other cats–one all white, one mostly white–will only sit in it for a short while.
Excellent point, Bill; the pigment that would help block the sun is missing in white cat’s fur and skin.
Harry, our portly manx, not only has long fur but he cannot keep himself groomed so it developes knots and mats that become uncomfortable. I paid way too much money to get him shaved at the vet’s office as they said they had to tranquilize him to do the job. Not good for him or my wallet.
He is a strange cat who will come running when I turn on the back massager…he wants to get his massage too. So….I borrowed the clippers over the weekend from the vet, sat open legged on the kitchen floor and when I turned them on, Harry came to investigate, letting me work on trimming. The only problem was he rolled around like he does when he is being massaged so my first attempt at trimming him made him look like a scalded dog. We took a break then went back to it again. It only took three tries to get him short haired and reasonable looking. As I was trimming off the matted fur he ‘fleaed’ my bare skin, which drove me bonkers, but I guess it was a reaction to getting rid of the irritating fur mats.
Fleaed is something I never have experienced from a cat but have had dogs do to me when I find that itchy spot. Teeth bared but jaw closed and taking fast short throw continuous nibbles at one spot, as if going after a flea.
I have an indoor cat and so does a friend of mine. Her cats keep getting heat rashes in the winter from the dry heat. I have never had an indoor cat before so i wonder if i should give my cat “Pickle” ( my 4 year old named her) a light trimming to keep her from getting a heat rash and to decrease her desire to run outside everytime the door opens.
I have cincluded that she has been getting too hot, She has less energy and stays in the bed room window where there is a weak seal thus cold hair seaps in through the cracks when windo is not locked. and when she runs outside she only runs outside the door and just sits there and only runs away if we go to pick her up and bring her inside. So i realy think a trim would help. It always helped with my dogs but this is my first cat.
If anyone has a response to this please contact me in my email snake_eyes_24220@yahoo.com. really want some tips on taking care of a cat. she is a rescue and has imprinted towards me, i realy want her to be healthy and safe.
The cure for dry heat is a humidifier; good for humans, too!
Agreed. we do have a humidifier and it does seem to help alot. Lost night I decided to give Pickle a trim but only on her belly. she has an odd coat where during the summer its a very thich coat and during the winter her top half thin down and her belly fur nearly drags the ground. I think its because we keep the house so cool in the summer and warmin the winter, Any way, after the trim she perked back up and became the playful kitty i found and fell inlove with. So realy glad i decided to trim her down. I wont go as far as giving her the “lion cut’ for it seems her coat does a version of that on her own. Now i wonder what breed she is or mixed with, i am starting to find cats very interesting.
also off topic… she is 8 months old and when i lay down she will latch on to the covers i have or my shirt and she will begin kneading the fabric and acting as though she is trying to suckle. is this normal for her or could it be an early sign of health problems like maybe a taste or something in the laundry detergent or fabic that she is craving or is it where i got her at such an early age and was never weined properly( think i spelled that wrong but you get the idea) lol. I think she may had been just a few weeks when i found her she only had one eye opened and the other was half way opened but at the time i thought it could be from pink eye or something. a woman had her, and the kitten was so scared of her that it would hide and get stuck under her fridge. when i walked in the house the kitten came to me after a few minutes and I have had her there after. The woman said she got her at a friends house and the mother was killed. The only reason i went into the house was becasue the woman (my former neigbor) was yelling and throwing things i was worried when i got the kitten that she was going to be a very nervouse and unfriendly animal but in truth she is the most loving animal i have ever been around and very dog like. she plays fetch and rolls over for her belly to be rubbed but has never been around a dog….. any thoughts on this or clues to a certain breed she may be part of?
Actually, as with double-coated dogs, you should not be shaving your cat unless matting makes it absolutely necessary. Fur works differently than human hair in the sense that it works as an insulation, trapping cool air in during summer, and heated air in during tge winter. Shaving only weakens your cat’s defenses against the weather, and the hair might not grow back correctly. As for not doing a close shave… also not true. Obviously, shaving a cat bald would irritate their skin, but as a general rule, cats have very flimsy skin, and the shorter the blade, the safer they will be (the teeth on shorter blades are closer together than on those of a longer blade). As a proffessional, I would not be comfortable shaving cats longer or shorter than a #10.